Inkstand



(No Modem F. B. PRATT. Imsjumnl `Illillllllllll /ff' vg-m f ATTORNEYS.

Patented Nov. 6, i894.

UNITED Tarn/s ATET erica.

FRANCIS B. PRATT, OF CANTON, MISSISSIPPI.

I-NKSTAND.,

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent N0. 528,802, dated November6, 1894.

Application tiled May 24, 1894. Serial No. 512,319. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANCIS B. PRATT, of Canton, in the county ofMadison and State of Mississippi, have invented a new and usefulImproved Inkstand, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

My invention relates to improvements in inkstands of the feedingreservoir type, and has for its objects to provide a simple, inexpensivedevice of the type mentioned, which will be adapted for convenient andeiective service, which may be readily filled, lbe' exactly graduated tol supply the ink-well with writing Huid as needed, and that may be eX-peditiously cleansed when occasion requires.

To these ends my invention consists in the construction and combinationof parts, as is hereinafter described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, 1n whlch simllar gures of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the views shown.

Figure 1 is a plan view of the improvement in one of its forms. Fig. 2is a sectional side view of the same, taken on the line `2 2 in Fig. 1;and Fig. 3 is a broken sectional side view of a slightly modified formof construction of the improvement.

A base piece 10 is provided, which is formed of hard rubber, glass, orany other suitable material, and comprises the body of the inkstand, ithaving Stich a form and dimensions as will adapt it to receive andsupport other parts of the device. As represented, the base piece isrectangular in contour, and sufficiently elongated to permit it to berecessed at two points in its top, these cup-like formations 11, 12,being preferably made circular, and of a suitable depth for thereception of other parts.

The weight and area of the base piece 10, is such as will render itcomparatively stable, and lavoid liability to be upset by the accidentalcontact of other objects with it.

While other forms are admissible for the base piece, that represented ispreferred, as it is convenient to produce, well adapted for theformation in it of the recesses mentioned, and also for close packing inboxes for ship ment as an article of merchandise.

The cavity or recess 11, before mentioned, is cylindric in form, and ofa sufficient depth for the reception ot' the cylindrical shell 13,

that is closely tted in it. The shell 13 is open at both ends, and atthe top has a circumferential flange 14, projected from it which forms afinish von said piece, and affords means for kits ready removal. Theinterior wall of the shell 13 is threaded from top to bottom for thethreaded engagement of another part of the device.

When the inkstand is constructed as represented in Figs. 1 and 2, thereis a hollow cylindrical plug 15, provided, which is externally threadedto have a screwed engagement with the threaded wall of the shell 13. Thelower end of the plug 15 is open, and its top is sealed by a head wallas shown in Fig.

2, said wall being radially extended beyond the sidewall of the plug toproduce the flange 16, which may be roughened on its edge to facilitatethe manual rotation of the plug, which latter is about equal in lengthwith thatof the shell 13. There is a set screw 17, inserted into acentral threaded perforation formed for its reception in the head wallof the plug 15, said screw having an elongated transverse perforationformed in its bod-y from near the lower end,ot` a proper length, asindicated at 18 in Fig. 2,.a portion of the screw body near its milledhead being left solid. The other recess 12 is made of a less depth thanth'erecess l1, and preferably has its bottom wall made coniform, asrepresented in Figs. 2 and 3, andy from the lower central termination ofthe funnel-shaped bottom of fthe recess 12, a comparatively smallconduit passage 19 is produced in the body of the base piece 10. Thepassage 19 projects down. wardly, then laterally, and at its oppositeend trends upwardly to centrally intersect the bottom wall of the recess11. y

In the recess 12, a lining thimble 2O is inserted,l this thimbletogether with the shell .13, plug 15, and set screw 17 being formed ofhard rubber orother suitable material. The thimble 20 is open at bothends and neatly fits the cylinder recess 12, andthe thimble .i

has a circumferential flange 2l formed on its upper end, said flangelike that on the plug 15 being seated on the upper surface of the basepiece 10.l It will be seen that if the set screw 17 is unscrewed so asto expose a portion of the transverse slotted perforation 18 above thehead wall of the plug 15, a small air passage is thus afforded fromwithout, into the hollow plug and the shell 13.

To fill the inkstand constructed as has been explained, the plug 15 isscrewed to the bottom of the shell 13 and the set screw 17 is adjustedto permit the free escape of air from' the hollow plug. Ink is nowpoured into the recess 12, which is, in fact., the well of the inkrostand and the ink runs by gravity through the conduit passage 19 intothe hollow plug 15 until it is filled. The plug is now unscrewed a shortdistance to leave an air space in its upper portion, and the set screw17 is x5 adjusted to seal the top of the plug 15. The inkstand is nowready for service, and ink can be taken in the usual way from the well12, until it is necessary to replenish it, which is effected by screwingthe hollow plug-down a zo few turns, which will force the ink throughthe passage 19 up into the well in an obvious manner. Y

Then the plug 15 has been fully depressed and it is desired to againforce ink into the well 12, the set screw 17 is adjusted to open the airpassage into the top of the plug, and thelatter is screwed out again,air then forming a cushion over the reduced quantityof ink in the plug.The set screw 171s again screwed 3o down so as to seal the top of theplug l5, and the latter may again be adj usted to force ink into thewell until the entire supply of ink is exhausted, the refilling of theinkstand being conducted as before explained.

The device represented in Fig. 3, is substantially similar to thatalready explained, the changes made being to simplify the construction,which consists in increasing the diameter of the recess 11, and shell13, while 4o the depth of the recess named and the length of the shell,is reduced, thus affording an ink receptacle of a suitable capacityhaving a comparatively shallow depth. The plug 22 which is to have athreaded engagement with the interiorly threaded shell 13, is in thiscase made solid, so that an ink receptacle will be afforded only in theshell 13 when the plug is unscrewed to nearly remove it, and as shown,the circumferential flange on 5o the shell is formed of a sufficientthickness to leave a few turns of thread in it to retain the plug whenit is adjusted to nearly withdraw it from the shell, thus affording achamber for ink that is about equal in depth with the recess 11 in thebase piece 10.

To ill the nkstand last described, the plug 22 is removed, and ink ispoured either into the well 12, or shell 13, until aproper quantity hasbeen introduced, the plug 22 being then restored to place by screwing ita few turns into the thread formed in the upper part of the shell. Itwill be evident that as the ink is consumed by use or evaporation in thewell 12, it maybe transferred in proper quantity from the reservoir inthe shell 13, by screwing down the solid plug 22.

It is claimed for the improvement that it is cheap to construct, shapelyin form, not liable to derangement in use, and convenient to fill orclean.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent- 1. In an inkstand, the combination, with abase piece circularly recessed at two points in its top and having apassage extended from the bottom of one recess to the bottom of theother recess, of a flanged and interiorly threaded shell in one of saidrecesses, a hollow plug threaded to screw in the shell, and anadjustable perforated plug in the top of the hollow plug, substantiallyas described.

2. In an inkstand, the combination, with a base piece circularlyrecessed in its top at two points, one recess being funnel-shaped at thebottom, and having a passage extended therefrom to the bottom of theother recess, of a anged thimble in the coniform bottomed recess, aflanged interiorly-threaded cylindrical shell in the other recess, ahollow plug threaded externally and engaging the threaded shell, and atransversely and longitudinally perforated set screw adjustable in thetop of the hollow plug, substantially as described.

FRANCIS B. PRATT. Witnessesz J. M. GRAFTON, F. D. COLEMAN.

